The Last Story: Power of the Outsider
by Fiona3210
Summary: ...I've got nothing. Literally, I just pulled a blank. Well, besides a quote that won't leave my mind. "I'm sick of it! Sick of all the pain!" -Zael/Elza
1. Chapter 1: Reptid's Caves

Chapter One: Reptids' Cave

Dagran's POV

Syrenne and I could hear the laughs as the Reptid we were pursuing got farther and farther away from us. We had originally landed side-by-side, but Syrenne was already racing ahead.  
" Wait you scaly bastards!" she called. "Dagran move it. Over here!" I started to follow, but something told me to turn around, but there was only a wall. Odd. I kicked it and it collapsed, showing me the treasure chest behind it. Inside was only a shard of something, but I decided to keep it anyway. Quickly, I raced to where Syrenne was.

"You never said we'd be playing tag," she commented as the two Reptids turned to fight us.

"Just do your job," I said as I leaped up to slash at one of them. Syrenne gave an annoyed sighed, but didn't stop attacking the archer with her double blades.

"By your command."

"Think of the money," I said, trying to encourage her.

"I'd rather think of all the beer you're gonna buy me with it!" She retorted. I smiled.

"Only if you get more of these things than me," I told her sternly.

"Try not to fall too far behind, eh?" The last bit of her sentence was almost drowned out by the ceiling in front us collapsing.

"A trap!" I shouted fast. We quickly dived for cover outside of the condemned area. I vaulted over the rubble that remained, Syrenne following quickly behind. They led us out to an open area, with a large bridge in the center. I got the feeling that things were about to go downhill. A high pitched whistle met our ears.

"Bring it on," Syrenne said, dead serious. We raced forward, splitting up as Reptids jumped down from the ceiling. I aimed a diagonal slash at one, killing it, before turning to face his partner. I quickly stunned it with my sword before dealing with it in the same way I had done in the other. I crouched behind a fallen pillar as a blade came towards where my chest was seconds before, the return trimming my hair slightly. I quickly vaulted over the pillar and as I descended down again, splitting the confused Reptid's skull. I rolled around yet another, and hit it on the way back up. Unfortunately, my blade only pierced skin deep with that, nowhere near as hard as my other attacks. Not wasting any time, I quickly stabbed it straight through the heart, my withdrawal bringing me back-to-back with Syrenne. The contact was only for a moment though, as both of us were still on the attack. As I spun around while finishing another Reptid off in this seemingly endless swarm, I caught sight of something.

"Syrenne! Watch your back!" I called, racing over to assist her before she became surrounded. As I watched, she turned and put one of her two swords up, causing the supposed-to-be lethal attack to transform into a barely breaking skin harmless slash. Of course, her opponent didn't have such luck, as it was almost immediately turned into a dead heap by the blade she didn't use to defend herself.

"Thanks," she said. "They just keep on coming!" More fell from above, one almost landing on top of her. "Damn! What the hell is Zael doing?" Isn't that something that I'd like to know.

Zael's POV

"Yurick let's move," I said as Yurick joined me down in the caves.

"You think Dagran and Syrenne are ahead?" Yurick asked me. Dagran's plan had been for us to split up into two groups: Group A and Group B. Yurick and I were Group B.

"Yeah," I told my eye patched pal, "let's go and find them." We started walking along the higher route, not running into anything until we reached a doorway. Quickly, we ducked along the edges so the Reptids ahead wouldn't see us.

"This place is crawling with these things," Yurick commented.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"I don't think they've noticed us yet." I nodded; this meant that it was my call what we did. I looked out into the room. I could tell that the three pillars in there were unstable. They looked weak enough that a well-aimed fireball could take them down, thus squishing the Reptid's down below. I realized that we only had one shot, if we didn't get it perfect the first time then they would realize we were here. _Which one?_I carefully examined each one, before noticing that the middle one looked almost split in two. _Perfect._

"Yurick, can you shoot a fireball at that pillar?" I asked.

"The center one?" I nodded. Yurick began charging up his attack, and started floating from the sheer amount of power, just as all mages do. Quickly, he launched the fireball towards the pillar, and it collapsed, squishing the Reptid's underneath and making our job a whole lot easier. We started across the room, when we heard a whistle.

"Zael, it's the Reptid's horn. Dagran and Syrenne have messed up!" Yurick exclaimed.

"Yurick let's go! No one's dying while I'm here!" I almost-shouted seriously. I was going just slow enough so that Yurick could keep up. _Today I'll rescue you, Dagran._

"Wait! I'm pretty sure those two can look after themselves." Yurick stated.

"They're my friends, I can't just sit here!" I replied, racing ahead.

"I'm not really into that kind of thing," Yurick admitted with a sigh, following my lead. I slowly heard the shouts drawing nearer.

"They're close! I can hear them!" I exclaimed.

"Zael stop! Don't get carried away!" Yurick told me sternly, shouting slightly to be heard. We entered the room and took cover. I peeked around the pillar and looked downwards to see Syrenne and Dagran fighting. "That's a lot of Reptids." I nodded an agreement, before diving down to join them, leaving Yurick in the sort of safe zone to cast his magic. From up there only the archers could hit him, and they were more focused on the three of us down here than him.

"Oh, now he decides to show up. The mighty Zael to the rescue," Syrenne said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"Me and Syrenne have got these ones covered. You focus on the others!" Dagran ordered. "The archers on the bridge are calling reinforcements. Deal with them!" Normally I would knock them off of the bridge with my arrows, but since I had already become part of the fight, it would be suicide to attempt it. I wouldn't be able to aim properly while continuously dodging arrows. I looked up at it, and then got an idea.

"Yurick! Destroy that bridge!" As I stated earlier, nobody even knew he was up there yet, besides the three of us fighting down here.

"I don't know. It looks pretty tough." Yurick's voice wavered slightly, and I knew he was doubting himself and his abilities again. There was only one way to deal with this.

"Yurick!" I shouted, mimicking the tone Dagran had used on me many, many times before. This caused him to man up.

"Fine. Don't blame me if it goes wrong!" he called back. I didn't have any plans to. I rejoined in the fighting as yet another round of Reptids was called down by the archers. I was quickly caught up inside the battle, slashing at one enemy, only to spin around to face another. Yet before I knew it, the bridge fell, nearly taking me down with it. There were only a few Reptids left after that, most being squished by the bridge, and eventually they were all gone. Yurick finally hopped down. He and Syrenne started talking about how we would get out of this chamber.  
"As far as I can tell, there are no other exits out of here," she said.

"What? Really?" Yurick responded, surprised. Syrenne snorted, pretending to be offended.

"Really." I breathed a sigh of relief and sat against a fallen pillar, regaining my strength. It was that simple action that saved my life. The others were near where we'd come in, when there was a crash from behind me, and piece of debris hit the pillar, causing it to shatter, and I fell over onto my back from suddenly losing the object I had been leaning on. Another piece flew less than a foot above me, where my head been, and towards Syrenne, who had enough time to dodge so that it missed her completely. I heard Yurick's cry of surprise, but paid little attention to it, instead looking at what had made the hole. It was huge, twice the size of your average Reptid, and looked twice as deadly. It wore a mask and carried a shield, which was all I noticed before it let out a deep scream, probably its battle-cry.

"Look at the size of that!" Yurick said, still surprised. Then it was upon us.

"Zael, Syrenne! Protect Yurick as he's casting!" Came Dagran's orders, before he rushed right up to the big one, Syrenne following.

"Okay, understood," I said. I was about to join them, when out of corner of my eye I spotted Reptid swordsmen, one in particular coming dangerously close to our mage. Not skipping a beat, I spun and ran, giving it a good, hard kick. It fell to the ground and didn't get up. I quickly jumped next to Yurick, who had finished shaking off the surprise.

"I'm counting on both of you," Yurick said, and I knew he wasn't thinking when he said it.

"Or we could just let the Reptids take him of our hands..." Syrenne suggested, joking. Yurick began floating, and I was close enough to feel the heat coming off of him. Another one! It was heading towards Syrenne's open back, running right by me. I quickly slashed it, causing its attention to turn onto me. I guarded as it tried a vertical slash, the sword sliding across my arm which was luckily covered in a thick jacket. I immediately counter-attacked, using the same move it had, except mine was successful in splitting its skull. I turned as Yurick finished casting, launching a fireball that created a flaming circle on the floor. Luckily, the attack only hit the Reptid, so Dagran and Syrenne were fine. It seemed to be weak to the flame, which was a good thing, considering Yurick wasn't exactly the best physical fighter. Dagran and Syrenne's blades were literally on fire as the slashed away, and the giant Reptid soon fell.

"Well looks like the coast is clear," Yurick said, and he was right. There were no other enemies nearby, so we started towards the entrance that they had made. I picked up some arrows along the way that one of the Reptid's had dropped. As I put them into the special pocket on my sheath, I recognized the design as a Wizard Slayer. I whistled, glad that none of the ten had been fired. They were deadly to a wizard of any kind, killing them either instantly or within 30 seconds of impact. I quickened my pace to make up for the time I had wasted.  
"Right. Is everyone OK?" Dagran asked us after I had rejoined them.

"Yeah, that was easy," Syrenne said.

"Let's move on," I suggested, not wanting to waste any time. I was suddenly reminded of how we had come to be here…

_A few days earlier…_

_They were all gathered around a table in the tavern we were currently staying in, awaiting the news. Well everyone besides Lowell, who was getting another drink. Dagran and I walked over. I watched as they all seemed to stop and look up. My shirt was still soaked from our last job, so I chose to go without it._

"_Looks like we have a new client!" Dagran said. Syrenne gave a loud cheer, that caused everyone in the tavern to stare at us._

"_All right!" Syrenne shouted, waving her tankard in the air. "Just as we were about to run out of money, too!" she had a smile on, and was obviously drunk. Lowell finally came back over, standing behind me and Dagran._

"_Thanks to someone getting hammered all the time…" Lowell taunted her. I leaned away; not wanting to get drawn into to the battle that I knew was going to come out. Syrenne stood up immediately._

"_Shut it! I risk my life out there! Let me drink in peace!" Syrenne shouted._

"_So, may I ask who our next client is?" Mirania asked, putting down her tea. She is our peacemaker, always intervening in time to stop fights from breaking out between Lowell and Syrenne._

"_It's Count Arganan," Dagran answered._

"_Wow. The ruler of Lazulis Island? That's quite a result." Yurick commented._

"_There's a huge cannon on that island," Dagran continued. "But all that magic is dangerous. It draws all kinds of monsters to the area."_

"_And we have to clean up, right?" Syrenne pretended to guess. Dagran blinked slowly looking up for a second, before staring at Syrenne with his yellow eyes. I still don't understand why they are yellow._

"_You have a problem with that?" he asked._

"_Mmm-mmm." She smiled and shook her head no. "As long as I get paid, I ain't complaining!" she said. Lowell snorted._

"_Yeah right," he said._

"_Anyway, I reckon it's time to celebrate!" she continued, ignoring the comment. "Barman! Hit us with the best you've got!" she shouted, waving over. There was laughter at our table as the confused barman raced over..._

We continued onwards through the dank rock hallway. I took the lead, since I was the fastest out of us, and didn't slow down until I saw a strange marking on the floor, grayed out. It was definitely not a human or Reptid marking, and was to perfect to be fully natural. I didn't realize I had been staring at it until the others were practically on top of me. I glanced up, and, noticing the wide opening, took cover on one side of the natural doorway. Dagran joined me on the other side of the doorway as I looked out into the partially flooded room ahead of us. We were well above the water, which was a good thing as I noticed the enemies gathered in the center.

"Take a good look. Some of them can use magic," Dagran warned me. I nodded understandingly. "Zael go and flank them from the right. At your signal, we'll charge them from the front."

"Got it," I said. Yurick nodded.

"We'll finish this before they know what's hit them." Syrenne chuckled. Dagran then proceeded to give us some stats, from what he had observed. "The healer in the center will cause us some grief. I want this fast and clean!"

"Leave it to me," I said.

"They've got lookouts in position already," Dagran warned. I started down the right path, the others finding cover up ahead, out of sight of the scouts. When I reached the bottom, I quickly scanned the area with my eyes before I saw the staircase leading upwards. When I reached the top, I was behind the Reptids. Perfect. I went as close as I dared, before hiding behind a wall. I peeked out and, remembering Dagran's comment about the healer, took out my crossbow. I reached into my sheath a grabbed a Wizard Slayer, aiming for a headshot. I fired.

"Now!" I yelled, jumping out and racing towards the mage. It was easy to take down, considering it was charging up an attack, leaving it vulnerable. A single slash and it had fallen. As two of the swordsmen raced for Syrenne and Dagran, I wondered where the third one was. I spun and I found it behind a wall. Diving, I raced around the other side, from behind it. I hit it hard enough that the Reptid went up into the air, before being forcefully brought down by my sword. I turned to find that the other Reptids had already been dealt with. I walked over to the center of the platform.

"So, how the hell are we supposed to get over there, then?" Syrenne asked, looking at the path in front of us- or lack of one.

"I'm pretty sure this has something to do with it," Yurick stated, looking at the markings on the floor.

"Huh? Hey Syrenne, can you take a step backwards?" I asked, and she obliged, managing to take a seat up on top of one of the pillars. I looked at the triangle underneath where she had been standing. There was a hook attached to it, and three points around it. "What does this do?" I asked myself. It was a struggled to lift the triangle and turn it around so it'd fit inside the other three holes, but was well worth the effort, as three stalactites fell from the ceiling and into the water.

"Who'd make something so dangerous?! It's totally irresponsible!" Syrenne scolded as she jumped down from her perch.

"I'd say it definitely look man-made," Yurick answered. We ran across the new pathway and it wasn't until we had entered the tunnel on the other side that anyone talked.

"Dagran, I'm hungry," Syrenne whined. Yurick and I, who had managed to get ahead of them, took our respective positions, Yurick leaned against a wall and I sat down on a nearby rock.

"Let's try to be professionals, OK?" Dagran said.

"What? If I'm hungry, then I'm hungry!" She responded. "If I get killed 'cos I'm too hungry and weak to fight, then don't blame me!" If she got killed, we'd probably be more upset about the fact that she was dead than about whose fault it was that she was dead. I stood up and began walking again as the duo caught up.

"If you've got the energy to whine like that, I'm sure you'll be fine," Yurick stated, resolving the issue. We made a left turn with a tight squeeze up ahead. The path went on about a hundred more feet, before ending in a small area where two of us could just manage to stand side-by-side.

"Any luck?" Dagran asked, stopping behind me. I looked closely at the wall in front of me.

"I can see light," I said.

"Hey, try giving it a little tap," Syrenne suggested. I moved over slightly, and roundhouse kicked it, causing to wall up ahead to collapse. "You don't mess around!" she said with a slight laugh.

"This just never ends," Yurick said, hint of a whine in his voice. I ducked down slightly, the hole wasn't that big, and walked through the opening. On the other side, we were in a vast man-made chamber, the complete opposite of the caves we were in before.

"Where are we?" Dagran asked.

"Some kind of ruins."

"It's cold, it's weird, and it stinks. I don't like it," Syrenne said. I took a deep breath, and smelt the revolting stench. We walked into the room, and I saw what stunk. Skeletons were dismantled on the floor, weapons and clothing in good shape. I got a bad feeling in my stomach, and apparently the others did to, as we walked to what looked like a place that a hallway would be in.

"A dead end," Yurick said with a sigh, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Yurick, let's look for an alternate route," Dagran suddenly suggested.

"Hey, shouldn't we stick together?" I asked.

"No, it's easier to scout with fewer people." Dagran and Yurick began to walk away. "Zael, Syrenne, you two rest while you can. I'm sure there's more trouble waiting for us." Then they were gone, vanished back into the caves. I felt slightly on edge, as I took seat.

"Zael, keep your pants on. You'd better get some rest while you can," Syrenne said, sensing my mood.

"I can't help it if I'm worried," I responded. Syrenne sighed.

"Dagran can look after himself! Or are you getting all scared 'cos he's not here to protect you?" She commented.

"What? No! I'm a grown man Syrenne," I stated, starting to become annoyed with the

"Ooh, a grown man, are we? How big and macho," Syrenne teased me. "Well, I guess you have grown up a bit. But you're still just a kid to me and Dagran." I was the second youngest, the youngest being Yurick, but since he always acted older and more serious than he was, I was often the one treated as the youngest. Besides moments like these, I didn't mind much, or think twice about it.

Anyway, so there we were, sitting down against some pillars. The room was silent. Until, _crack_. I jumped to my feet.

"What was that?" I asked, surprised. Syrenne got up as well walking towards me.

"It's just the wind! Don't be such a chicken!" she said reassuringly, leaning on my shoulder and giving me a playful punch to the stomach. Then the noise came again and again, repeating over and over. "Hm?" I knew she had finally heard it. I looked over to where the noise was coming from. Before us, the skeletons popped up, causing us to shout out of surprise. "Today is not my day. Look if you're this big manly man, help me sort out these things." She unsheathed her dual blades as one drew closer. "Dagran never told us about these things!" she shouted as she slashed at it. I followed her lead, and back slashed the same undead… thingy. It collapsed again, and I spun around, kicking the Undead behind me, before slashing at it.

"I can hold them!" I shouted, before the wall behind us started to retract into the floor. "Wait. Is this a secret path?" Syrenne grabbed my wrist and started pulling me down the hallway.

"Zael, in here, now. We can buy some time," she ordered, releasing me. One of them was right behind us, and I wasted a second to spin around and slash it. "What the hell are you doing?! Move it!" I picked up the pace. "This way! I said move! They're catching up!" I looked behind and she was right. Shoot. I ran as fast as I could, and was quickly next to Syrenne, who had been almost at the other side of the hallway. "Not much further. Keep it up!" She said, vaulting herself off of pillars to keep up with me. Within seconds, we were through, into another chamber must like the last, except without the skeletons. "I'll hold them off here. You search for another way out." I hated to leave her fighting all those Undead all alone, but knew that it would probably be easier to find an escape route than to stand and fight. I quickly checked along the walls. There was the main set of stairs right in front of us, and I raced over to inspect them.

"No good. Damn, a dead end!" I muttered to myself.

"Looks like this is it!" Syrenne said. I raced to the other stairs, the ones leading to the wall.

"These stairs are guarded by the curse of the undead," A listless voice said in my head. I turned around in time to witness a sight I will never forget.

Syrenne was surrounded, and the Undead were closing in on her. More were coming, but there was one in particular, the last one to come in, who caught my attention. In its bony clutches was a crossbow. Syrenne was hacking away at the ones surrounding her as the bow was raised. The arrow in it was one that I recognized with a deadly shock. It was a Poison Arrow.

"Syrenne!" I shouted. She turned around just as the arrow was fired. I watched in what seemed to slow-motion as the arrow pierced skin, the determined look on Syrenne's face turning into one of surprise, and how she was forcefully knocked off of feet and onto the ground. I raced over, kneeling down. "Syrenne!" As I looked down, the arrow and the world around me dissolved into nothingness.

_A scream. That's what came to me first. I watched from my hiding place as the bandit who had hurt my mum walked away, as my mum fell to the burning floor of our house. I approached slowly, scared as the place that I called home collapsed all around me._

"_M-Mummy?!" I asked, my voice wavering, terrified. Her pained answer was two words._

"_Zael… Run!"_

"Run away! Zael!" Syrenne told me.

"No!" I cried. "M-mum… Syrenne…" It was too late. She was gone, just like my mum. Just like everyone. I'm always alone. "I don't wanna be alone anymore! I'm sick of it! Sick of all the pain!" I shouted, as loud as I could.

"You can hear my voice, yes?" a voice asked. I looked for the owner, but found none. Instead, only a blue light emanating from the statue behind me was there.

"What is this?" I asked. I was in standing in front of the statue. I don't even recall how, just that I was there. In the center, a small section of light stopped glowing, showing the wall behind it. "Who is it? Who's there?"

"Your heart is like mine," the voice continued, echoing against the walls. "Filled with loneliness and sorrow."

"Who… who are you?" I tried again. Instead of an answer, the missing circle of light began to shine, and I put my hands up in a futile attempt to stop from going blind, a cry of surprise escaping my lips. It quickly turned into a cry of pain as the light around me, seemed to be absorbing itself into my hand, bright blue lines showing through the jacket. I struggled to keep standing, clutching at my right hand. I let out a scream as blue chains burst from it, surrounding me in a white light once more.

"If you wish to protect those who are precious to you, than pray for it with your heart and soul." The words were mixed with my cries as whatever weird transformation that was going on ended. I yanked my arm down, out of a chained blue circle in the air, panting for breath. As I watched, a pattern of crosses etched themselves onto each of my fingers, a larger one going on the back of my hand. The center cross glowed a bright blue, around that center light were mini crosses like the ones on my fingers, and a wave of the color and heat zipped through the air, hitting the Undead, causing them to falter.

"What's going on?!" I asked. I looked up, and all of the Undeads turned to look at me, and only me. "Protect those who are precious to me? What's that mean?" Something told me to step towards Syrenne, and as I made contact with her, a blue light surrounded her and, much to my astonishment, she rose, looking as though she had never fallen. I didn't have time to be surprised as Dagran and Yurick entered the room.

"Zael! What's that light?" Dagran asked, looking at it with a face of surprise and confusion. I couldn't answer that question; I didn't know what it was myself.

"I everyone OK?" I asked instead. I slashed at an Undead, knocking it over.

"Yeah, just about. Ow!" Syrenne said as she pulled off a sort of combo with her dual blades.

"Zael, this is weird. Really weird," Yurick said.

"I'm just as confused as you are. I heard this voice in my head, and…" I cut myself off, not wanting to finish my sentence. Instead, I cut the head off of another Undead, which wasn't as gruesome as you'd think it'd be on a first guess.

"What the hell is going on?" Dagran asked suddenly, as only the archer was left standing. It seemed oblivious to the fact that the others existed, its gaze fully fixated on me. I dived as an arrow was shot towards where my head had been, before front flipping to avoid a second one. Yurick managed to shoot a fireball at the archer. "These things don't stay down! Zael! Draw the enemy into the fire circle!" I saw Yurick about to make a comment about the term 'fire circle' but changed it at the last minute.

"Some people say the undead are given new life in the underworld," Yurick said instead.

"I've heard that somewhere before," I admitted.

"They do say fairytales and legends have a grain of truth in them."

"All I know is I'll smash them down now matter how many times they get up!" Dagran exclaimed. The blue light on my hand suddenly dispersed itself as the last one went down, and stayed that way.

"What just happened?" I said surprised. Behind me, I heard a door open.

"What?! There was a way out! Zael, you useless idiot!" Syrenne scolded me. We began to trek towards the new opening, when I suddenly asked myself if that strange ability was only a one-time thing. I looked down at the hand with the strange markings. I caught up to the others just as they walked through the doorway. Once again, the walls were made of stone.

"Ugh, what a pain in the arse. Is this really the right way?" Syrenne complained again.

"The air's damp and the atmosphere stinks," Yurick said.

"So Arganan knew about this place when he…" Dagran began.

"When he what Dagran?" I asked. The tunnel had led out to a bridge, and at the end we were standing at, was one of those grayed out markings I had seen earlier. Although instead of being grayed out, they were a bright blue with a beam of light the same color coming from it and fading into the air. I walked over and, as I stood in the light, I felt rejuvenated.

"Forget it. Pointless rambling," he said decidedly, and it was impossible to encourage him to talk about something he had already made his mind up on. The nearby area looked clear of enemies, as did the bridge itself, so we set out upon it. We didn't want to get stuck fighting on such a small space.

"Wow, take a look at that!" Syrenne said in fascination, looking at the petal lookalikes floating in the air.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's like falling flower petals."

"Yeah…" I heard more cracking, and was snapped out of the trance the petals had put me in.

"Zael! In front! Enemies!" Dagran barked out, drawing my attention away from the flowers. He took out his sword as Syrenne and I followed suit. Yurick rarely did the same.

"More bony freaks?" Syrenne commented.

"Look! Over there, too!" Yurick said, pointing to the archers on the broken bridges nearby.

"They've surrounded us! Are they intelligent?!" Dagran said, worried. He quickly regained his composure. "Don't try to defeat them! Just knock them into the valley!" With those orders, the battle had started. Dagran, Syrenne, and I retreated, trying to lure the Undead on the bridge onto it so we could knock them over the edge.

"I can't concentrate on casting like this! I need you to distract them!" Yurick called out, dodging an arrow.

"Zael, can't you use that weird power again?" Syrenne shouted. I didn't really know. _If you wish to protect those who are precious to you, than pray for it with your heart and soul._The words repeated themselves in my mind. I faltered for a second as I heard it. Pray for it with my heart and soul? What did it mean? I thought back to how I had felt when Syrenne had almost died, and the blue light returned. In one of my moments of suicide and stupidity, I race forward. That got their attention. I slashed at one, unbalancing it, but had to jump backwards to avoid an arrow, giving to Undead a chance to recover.

"Yurick! Destroy that with your magic!" I shouted, hoping that Yurick knew what I was referring to." OK! Cover me!" he called back. I slashed at the same one again, as Dagran and Syrenne also ran into the fight. The one I had been attacking collapsed and I moved around it, preparing myself for when it popped back up. Behind me, a bridge exploded. The Undead popped back up and I was so focused on knocking it over, that I completely forgot about the other one. Until it sliced my shoulder with its sword, that is. I let out a cry and stumbled forward. It was pure luck that caused me to bump into the Undead and knock it over and not just fall off the edge. All that left was the archer. I knelt down to fire a shot, when the platform it was on exploded.

"Zael! Enemy reinforcements!" Yurick shouted. I was surprised at why he was shouting at me, before he continued. "They're sniping us!" That's when I got it. Sniping was a term used in archery and being the only archer in the group, the situation was something that I needed to know.

"Aren't we done with this lot, yet?" Syrenne said, annoyed.

"Zael," Yurick began, but an explosion drowned out his next words, and all that I heard was "If you need my help, let me know." I nodded, and took a second to assess the situation. Two enemy mages, one on either side.

"Yurick you take the one on the right!" I called. Since I already had my crossbow out, I quickly reached for an arrow. I pulled out another Wizard Slayer. I aimed slower than normal, with both hands for once. I released the string. The arrow rooted itself in the mage's shoulder. I fell out of the air, and I knew that it wouldn't fall immediately. All I could do was hope the poison would take effect before it had the chance to cast anything. A sudden, unexpected laugh came from Syrenne.

"You're going down, you bony freak!" She shouted. I looked, and one of the fallen Undead rose for what I could tell was its last time.

"Take care not to fall off yourself!" Dagran told her. "Let's deal with the remaining one!" I nodded and executed the same move I had on the Reptid earlier. It fell and once again the strange blue light dispersed itself. I was heading towards the door, when a red circle caught my eye.

"Hey, what's this?" I asked. Dagran walked over.

"It's a summon circle. I've seen some enemies use it to summon their allies," he explained. As Yurick joined us on this side of the bridge the door that had been preventing us from proceeding opened.

"It opened!" I said, surprised.

"Yurick, do you sense anything?" Dagran asked. I think I forgot to mention this earlier, but mages have this weird ability that allows them to sense nearby presences.

"Yeah, unlike anything we've seen so far," Yurick told us. We had all seen a lot of things, so something that we hadn't seen before meant that it was really dangerous.

"This gets better by the minute," Syrenne muttered sarcastically. We proceeded into the next room, and as soon as we were all inside and up the small flight of stair the next door opened. With a little help from a kick, of course. We ran inside and heard a heavy _thump _that shook the floor beneath us.

"What?" I asked. Another _thump _came. Then another and another. I approached the center of the room with caution. I looked to my right, where the thumps were coming from, to see a huge… thing creating it with its steps. The word _Cocoon _appeared in my mind, and I thought it fitting for what the thing was. It was at least thrice my height, covered in orange lines. Its hands were gigantic and it had no feet. Its face was flat and covered in orange dots, which I guessed were its eyes. Many swords stuck out of its back, it had a tail that looked as if it had been attached like a waist cape was put on, and it was a sight that made me pause in my steps. I watched as it examined me and Yurick, the only one who had followed me. It seemed to focus on Yurick, who took a step back, fear on his face.

"No way! We can't win against that thing!" he cried out. It brought its arm back, grabbed a sword and I had a horrid realization what it was going to do.

"Yurick!" I shouted. I raced towards him, just as the thing threw the sword at him. Yurick put his arms in front of him as I leaped. For a second I wondered if I would be to slow, but I hit and we tumbled, the blast coming from where he had stood just milliseconds before launching me onto my back.

"Zael!" Syrenne shouted, racing forward alongside Dagran. I got up and raced forward as well, ignoring the pain in my shoulder as it cried out in protest.

"Watch out! Don't let him hit you with one of those swords!" I warned them, running around behind it. I started to slash away at Cocoon, trying to gain its attention.

"Find its weak spot! We're done for if we don't!" Dagran ordered. Cocoon slammed its fist into the ground, creating a shock wave that knock Dagran and Syrenne over, and would have hit Yurick if he hadn't already been in the air. Instead, it ruined his concentration, causing him to stop floating. Cocoon turned to face me. Weak spot, weak spot… I looked at its head.

"Attack its head!" I shouted out, dodging an exploding sword. I did not want to find out what would happen if it hit me.

"It's worth a shot. Yurick, aim for its head!" Dagran said.

"Got it!" Yurick replied. Currently Cocoon's attention was on me, but I couldn't be sure if it would stay that way. I needed it to keep its attention on me only… I looked down at the blue light, surprised. I didn't understand how I could summon it, why it came and went. It was confusing, but I didn't have time to study it now as I dodged yet another sword thrown my way. It seemed to be what Cocoon did to fight enemies that were far away. Yurick casted quicker than usual I noted, and it was right after I rolled forward to dodge the sword did Cocoon clutch its head out of agony. Now was our chance, and I didn't waste a beat, racing towards where Dagran and Syrenne were to help them. Its skin- or was it armor? - was thick and resilient. I kept slashing at it until it knocked me away with its hand, where I stopped by hitting a nearby pillar. Again my shoulder screamed, and I gave a grunt of pain as I stood back up. "What the?! There's more!" More Cocoons?

"They're dropping in from above. We've got to hold on!" Dagran shouted. I saw what they were talking about. Two Undead dropped downwards behind Cocoon.

"There's still too many of them! This is taking too long!" I said, racing to the other side of the room where the Undead had fallen. We were barely holding our ground with Cocoon; we couldn't handle Undead as well! I slashed at one and it dodged, causing me to hit the pillar behind it instead. It collapsed on top of the Undead beneath it. I managed to land a hit on the second Undead, and it followed its comrade. Obviously these ones had been summoned rather hastily, since they weren't nearly as tough as their brothers. I turned around as Yurick launched another fireball at Cocoon.

"It's working! Let's move it to the bridge!" Dagran said.

"Ah, I see. Very clever!" Syrenne commented.

"I'll support you," Yurick added. Another pillar collapsed as Cocoon swung its fists, managing to give me a head start in my race.

"Lead it to the bridge!" Dagran ordered. I turned around and ran back towards where we had entered. It went against everything I was used to doing, abandoning my allies, but I did it anyway. Behind me, I could the thumping as it approached, following me, and I ran faster towards the exit. I knew I had to stay slow enough, so that it would keep focusing on me. "Zael will draw it to the bridge. Yurick, you aim for its legs!" I heard Dagran order from behind me. I turned around after I got halfway across the bridge, and realized that I had been going too fast and it was losing me. I ran back towards where I had found to red circle and stood there until it was practically on top of me. Bad move. I was playing a deadly game of tag, and one wrong move could kill me instantly. It sped up, and I found myself backing away slowly to avoid being sent over the edge by the tremors. I realized with a start that the bridge couldn't support Cocoons weight, and was weakening with every step. It swung a fist towards me, I jumped backwards. _Crack. _Behind Cocoon, I could see Dagran, Syrenne, and Yurick, the latter floating.

"Had about enough of you! You're going down!" Yurick shouted, and the size of the fireball above him when he raised his hands to cast it was larger than any I had seen him use. He launched it, and that was the last straw. I leaped backwards onto the section mounted to the rocks just before the center of the bridge fell, taking Cocoon down with it. I sat at the edge, wondering how I was supposed to get across, when the trio ran back inside the building on their side. I looked down, the distance between here and the ravine below was so great that even the monstrous figure of Cocoon was not visible. I wondered where Syrenne, Dagran, and Yurick had gone. Were they looking for another exit? Was there even another exit, or were they trapped there? I sat there for a few minutes, just looking at the sights and repeating the same questions over and over in my mind until I heard the sound of a stone being moved and quickly stood up, unsheathing my blade and getting into a defensive position.

"Hey, relax, Zael, it's just us," Syrenne said, coming into view. Needless to say I was surprised.

"But- how? What? Huh?" I asked, knowing my words made as much sense as Syrenne's did when she had had one too many drinks. She gave a laugh.

"Look down and to the left," She said, and I obliged. I saw a whole bridge, not just a broken one like the one we were currently standing on, through the semi-transparent white mist.

"Sorry to give you a scare," Dagran said, coming out from the hole.

"Yeah, sure whatever," Yurick muttered, following Dagran's lead. None of us talked much as we retraced our steps, besides one of us pointing out a treasure chest here, or a request for a boost when we reached the room we had rejoined in. The searing pain in my shoulder had long subsided into a dull throbbing by the time we came back to where we had entered. Syrenne had given me one of her many armbands that adorned both her and Dagran's arm to slow the bleeding until we got back and Mirania could take a look at it.

**Leaving the cave, the battered mercenaries looked up at the sky and the sun shone down in greeting. They set forth on the road to the city.**

* * *

**Hiya folks! If you're new then nice to meet ya, I'll be doing these author notes at the bottom of every chapter. If your old, then I know you're surprised with the line, but since the narration at the end of the chapters are going to be done in bold (so they won't get confused with things like flashbacks or thoughts) and since I do author notes in bold... yeah. Can someone please tell me if novelizing this game is a good idea or a complete failure? If it's a complete failure, then I'll just leave the story with this. If it isn't, then I'll try to get the next chapter out fast. Sayonara!**


	2. Chapter 2: Lazulis Road

Chapter 2: Lazulis Road

Zael's POV

_Whose voice was that back there? It sounded so lonely. _I looked down at my hand, at the strange markings on it.

"Did she give me this power?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. _But, why me? _I noticed Dagran staring at my hand, at the blue light in the center. As I watched, it dimmed and faded away, almost like it wanted not to be seen. We started outwards on the road. In front of us I saw another blue marking. What did they mean?

"Can't believe I've gone all night without a drink. My hands are shaking!" Syrenne complained.

"Quit whining. We're all tired," Dagran told her.

"We're finally on the last stretch," Yurick added.

"Everyone all right? Nearly there now," Dagran said. We stepped out onto the road.

"S-somebody help!" a passer-by screamed, running away.

"Save us!" added a man. We unsheathed our weapons and started towards where the people were running away from.

"Oh bloody hell, what is it now?!" Syrenne asked, annoyed.

"Some kids got left behind!" I caught a man whisper to somebody else. We raced into the clearing, where a white tiger stood atop a pillar, probably the remains of a building. It seemed to have a blue light radiating from its skin, or maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me. It sat calmly, gazing at us with intelligent eyes.

"What the hell is that?!" Syrenne asked.

"Look! There are still some kids here!" Yurick said. I heard they're crying as I saw them sitting, curled up on opposite sides of the clearing. The Forest Beast jumped down, letting out a growl. It brought its face up and I saw the cross on its forehead, the exact same one on my hand. It began to approach us.

"Right, first we draw that thing away. Then the kids can escape," Dagran told us quietly.

"Ok," I said. I knew that this was my job to fulfill, just like back inside the caves.

"Yurick, leave off casting any magic until the kids are safe."

"Understood. I'll get the kids out then," Yurick replied.

"Let's get this done!" Syrenne said dangerously.

"Not good! It's going to attack the kids!" I caught Dagran mutter under his breath.

"What's a monster doing in this place?!" I asked.

"There's a child over here! And another child over there!" Yurick pointed to where the two were, so I knew where not to lead the beast. "We have to save them!" There was a note of worry in his voice, but I pretended to ignore it. "But the children will just get hurt if we rush in."

"Agreed. This is not good," Dagran said. "Zael, you lure it towards you with that light of yours. Yurick, you get the kids out of here while it's distracted."

"Got it!" The conversation seemed slightly unnecessary.

"Our priority is saving the kids! Do what you can to keep it off them!" Dagran said. Syrenne ran straight in for the attack, while Yurick raced to save the kids. I knew what I needed to do; I just wasn't sure how to pull it off. The power seemed connected with my emotions and thoughts. Many thoughts were flying through my mind, but I focused on one. Protect the kids. The blue light returned. "That's it Zael!" Dagran shouted encouragingly. The forest beast turned to face me. I let Dagran and Syrenne attack it, choosing to keep moving around so that it couldn't attack me.

"There now, hold onto me. Don't be afraid," Yurick said from behind me.

"Yeah, don't be afraid of creepy eyepatch kid. He won't bite," Syrenne added, joking again.

"Thanks, crazy lady!" the boy said. I snickered. It was the perfect way to describe her.

"Crazy lady?!" Syrenne shouted, offended. Yurick began to take the kid now on his back to the entrance of the clearing. My snickers distracted me until the beast lunged at me, giving me just enough time to put up my guard. _That_ shut me up. Even so, it managed to force me backwards a step, my blade almost meeting my forehead.

"This thing's strong!" Dagran said surprised. It lunged at me again, but this time I was ready. I dived to the left and slashed at it on the way back up.

"You're safe now. Get out of here!" Yurick told the kid, who did as he was told.

"That was soooo scary!" I heard the kid say as he raced away. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Yurick started running towards the other kid. I started to back towards the water, hoping to keep the beast away from the kid.

"Right, you're the last one. Let's get you out of here." I was nearly backed up against the tree at the very back by then.

"Thanks!" the child replied. I was forced to take another step back as the beast lunged again.

"Kids make him get all protective. How cute!" Syrenne teased.

"I can hear you, Syrenne," Yurick reminded her. By now, I was backed into a corner, rock wall on one side, tree on the other side. The Forest Beast looked ready to attack. So I did something very, very stupid. I ran right at it. The beast stood still for a single moment, confused at my sudden change of tactics, and in that moment I jumped. I knew that there was no way I could leap the entire thing, and I was right. I landed on its backside, knocking both of us onto the ground. I didn't waste a second, leaping to my feet and started on the attack. "You're safe now. Get out of here!"

"Right, the kids are safe. Yurick!" Dagran ordered.

"OK, one roast cat, coming up!" Yurick said. The beast lunged at me again, and the attack connected. I let out a gasp as I slid, feeling four new scratches reveal themselves. The corners of my vision started to fade to black, and I knew that we had to end this fast.

"You better not miss, Yurick," Syrenne warned, and I knew that I did not want to be Yurick if he missed. I got back to my feet, and resorted to only defensive moves. The fireball missed by a centimeter, almost hitting me instead. I backed away and the beast stayed put. I was confused why until it ran forward at an incomprehensible speed, hitting me with its shoulder. I felt myself hit the dirt as the black at the corners of my vision closed in on me, turning everything to black. I saw blue chains all around me, closing in, until one of the lashed out and grabbed my wrist in a tight hold. A feeling of pain went through my entire body as one word popped into my head. _Four. _I didn't have a clue what it meant. Four what? The blue chains all disappeared, except for the one, which held on even tighter. It glowed brighter and brighter…

I opened my eyes. I got to my feet, my senses at their highest. The beast lunged at Syrenne, hitting her with the same attack it had tried on me. Unfortunately, she didn't have a thick jacket to protect her arm.

"Argh, that's gonna leave a mark! Never seen a monster like this," she cried out.

"Well, we have only just arrived here," Yurick said. The beast turned to face me, noticing I was awake. I realized that it didn't matter whether that strange light was shining or not, this Forest Beast would give me its complete attention anyway. It did the same attack, racing across the area, but this time I was ready. I dived to the side and the beast hit the wall I had been standing directly in front of. It was stunned and none of us wasted a second.

"Very good, Yurick," Syrenne said sarcastically. "Damn is everything on this island crazy?" she managed to get out between sword slashes. It stood back up, and I backed away until I was standing in front of a pillar. The beast turned and leaped in the air. Instincts kicked in and I crouched, putting my sword above my head. Blood rained down upon me, coming from the wound in the beast's stomach. It hit the pillar with its head, sending debris flying. A piece of debris hit me and I blacked out for a split second upon impact. I quickly shook off the feeling and stood up. Dagran, Syrenne and I surrounded it, and I knew that we were hurting it worst, since it couldn't defend itself against our attacks. Suddenly, it ran, leaping over me, to the other side of the field. I stood still as it circled around, focusing on me and only me. It stopped and started to run. Right before it would get to me, it leaped. It soared above my head, landing on the cliff in an impossible jump. Instead of running, it turned around and stared at me. It gave me the slightest of nods, before retreating back into the forest.

"I don't think it's a monster…" I said quietly, not caring if the others had heard me. We walked out of the clearing, where we ran into the kids and their dad.

"Are you all right? You're not injured?" Dagran asked.

"No, we're fine now," replied the father. "Thank you, brave knights."

"Knights?" Syrenne inquired.

"No, we're just mercenaries working for Count Arganan," Dagran admitted. I knew what was coming next.

"M-mercenaries?!" the father backed away from us, stuttering. "S-sorry. I hope you don't mind, but I'd best be going now! Excuse me!" The father walked away hastily, taking his sons with him. At least we got an apology this time. Not like that one time…

_I ran quickly, catching up to the others. Behind me I heard the screams as another one of our comrades fell. I turned around for a split second._

_"Lost another one…" Dagran said sadly. The forest behind us was on fire. "Come on! We can't wait any longer!" He began to run away as well._

_"Zael, we're leaving! Come on!" Syrenne ordered, supporting a badly injured Lowell. I stared at the forest one last time. "Zael!" The words were all the encouragement I needed. I caught up to the others, helping Syrenne to support Lowell as we raced towards the city…_

_It was raining hard as we stood before the building. Dagran pounded on the door again and again, but to no avail. Somewhere nearby, an alley cat screeched. Lowell was leaning next to the door, Syrenne refusing to leave his side._

_"Open up! We got what you wanted!" Dagran shouted. From behind the door came the voice of our temporary employer._

_"Just throw it away somewhere! They'll attack the town if we have it!" the man cried. I shook my head, asking myself why he wanted us to get it so bad if he didn't want us to have it. Didn't he know what we had risked? How many of us had died?_

_"You don't understand. Just let us in!" I knew that Dagran's attempts were futile._

_"If it's money you want, we left it out there. Isn't that enough?" I saw the pouch and took a step towards it, not picking it up._

_"We've got a man down! Please!" No response came from inside. Syrenne knelt down to grab Lowell again as Dagran walked towards me. He picked up the bag. "Let's go," he said._

"He changed his tune," Syrenne scoffed. "Guess they don't like mercenaries around here either."

"So what else is new?" Dagran asked. "Don't let it bother you." We started on the path to the city.

"Man, I am totally knackered! Get me to a bath!" Syrenne said.

"Just a bit further now. Good work everyone!" Dagran applauded.

"I can see the castle!" Finally, we had reached the gate. Now all that was left to do was to fine the tavern we were staying in. Easy, right?

* * *

**Hello! I'm back! So, this is apparently amazing. I'm sorry about skipping that CGI cutscene (oh, god it's so gourgoes!), but I could find literally no way to fit it into the story, so again, sorry. I will try to fit in the other CGI's, though. So if you couldn't tell, I'm going to be doing this story from the POV of the character being played. (ie, Yurick is the character you're controlling in-game, that part of the story is written from Yurick's POV) Anyway, thank you Cormag and Lopmion for reviewing! In answer to your question Lopmion about the script, I'm currently using walkthroughs and my own playing experience (I'm at chapter 16 in game, so I'll be using the walkthrough for a while). The walkthrough is on by basically anybody who does what needs to be done and has already played the game, so yeah. Thanks for the compliment about the action scenes, they're my favorite part to write. So, um, yeah. Sayonara!**


	3. Chapter 3: Ariela's Tavern: Day

Chapter 3: Ariela's Tavern: Day

Zael's POV

It had taken awhile, but we had done it. I had even gotten a map of the city, although it was slightly water damaged. At least it had helped us find this place faster. We walked in, a small bell giving a quiet ring.

"Another day's work that didn't kill us," Syrenne said. "Barman! Oi! Gimme the strongest booze you've got!" she shouted, jumping and waving in excitement. The atmosphere of the tavern was warm, welcoming and lively, probably even more so since Syrenne had entered.

"Ah, Zael, back at last!" Lowell said. I looked up and saw Lowell standing next to Mirania on the landing up above. I knew that I could've been the one saying that to Lowell if I hadn't insisted on taking his place. He and Mirania walked downstairs. "Well, how'd it go?" Lowell asked. "You look like you've taking a beating."

"They gave us more trouble than we expected," Dagran said. I was confused why he didn't tell at least a little of the details, like he always did. I could see the skeptical look on Lowell's face. "And you?" Dagran asked, breaking the silence that had settled upon us.

"Save the business talk for later. It's time to get smashed!" Syrenne said, sitting on the bar.

"It's true, you all did very good work today. Tomorrow's a day off. Rest up."

"Yes! Zael, have a few drinks with me. Just for an hour or seven!" Syrenne shouted, leaping off of the bar.

"Same old Syrenne. You call this resting up?" Lowell asked.

"You're one to talk. I always see you strolling in at dawn," Syrenne replied wittily.

"What can I say? I enjoy going for long walks and watching the sun rise." I laughed a little, before noticing another blue light. _What the- here too? _It was the third one I had seen active, and the first one I had seen indoors. I walked upstairs, glancing at it out of the corner of my eye. A man with a harmonica walked up to me.

"Greetings, traveler. I am a wandering harmonica player. Now that your melody has been added to the island's what kind of song will you play?" he said.

"Huh?" I asked. He started walking downstairs, playing his harmonica before he left the tavern. I'd have to remember to ask him about that when he came back. I walked towards the edge of the balcony, around where the harmonica man had been standing, when I heard coughing. I turned around, two doors where next to me. I chose the one on the left. Inside was a single bed, and on it a boy. I approached him.

"What's your name?" he asked me. Another round of coughs overtook him. "Mine's Warren. I wanna go outside, but I'm too sick. It's all that white stuff falling from the sky. That's what made me ill." I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't have to. Warren was asleep.

"See you later, Warren," I whispered before leaving the room. I headed back downstairs, where I saw Yurick sitting by himself again. I walked over to him.

"Come on, Yurick. Why don't you sit with the rest of us?" I asked.

"I can do without all the shouting and singing and… spilling things," he retorted.

"But you're part of the gang!" I told him.

"On the battlefield, yes. But my services don't extend to socializing in the pub. We can't all be delightful social butterflies like Syrenne," Yurick said. "Anyway, I'm going upstairs. Using magic really wears me out. More than you might realize." He got up and started up the steps. I knew better than to pursue him. I just don't understand why he doesn't like to hang out with us besides when we're on a mission.

"Don't worry about him," Lowell told me, taking a temporary break from his flirting. "He's just one of those people. Tends to keep to himself, you know. I bet he likes us deep down."

"Yeah…" I agreed. Smiling, Lowell gave me a pat on the back before returning to whichever girl he was attempting to flirt with this time. I shook my head, when quite a few pieces of paper caught my eye. I gave them a closer examination. "Are those bank notes all from different countries? Wow." The tavern's landlord turned and looked at me, glass in hand.

"Traveler's put 'em there as a good luck charm. Means they'll get back here safe," he told me. "Not all of them do, of course. But I keep the tavern in business so they can come back when they like." He went back to washing out the cups. In front of him was Dagran, shining his sword.

"You're showing us all up, Dagran," I told him.

"No, just being paranoid," Dagran responded. "I've gotta keep my sword in top shape. Can't relax otherwise." I leaned back against the wall next to him.

"That doesn't make you paranoid. It does make you a bit of a worry wart," I joked.

"How long ago did we start up our band of mercenaries?" He asked. The question was unexpected. Dagran continued, "You and me are the only ones still standing from back then." I uncrossed my arms and stood up straight.

"I know," I said quietly. I looked up for a moment remembering how we had met.

_Another cold, damp day. Around me, people hustled and bustled, sometimes bumping into me and once even sending me flying. I had finally found a place where no one would bother me, on some stairs leading to a long-closed tavern. I looked down at the double lenses in my hands, lenses that were once my father's. Footsteps approached as I held up the lenses._

_"Hey, kid," a boy said. I gasped and hid away my lenses, not wanting them to become stolen. I looked up at the boy. He must have been older than me by at least 2 years. He was tall, with swept back hair and piercing yellow eyes. I noticed that he had an earring in one ear and wore chainmail atop an average shirt. "You on your own?" he asked. I hesitated for a second and then nodded, the hood of my jacket covering my eyes. I kept looking down at the ground, hoping he would go away. "Same as me then," he said. I looked up as he took a step closer, extending his hand. "Well, come on." I reached out my hand and he grabbed it. "Come with me." The boy pulled me to my feet and we started on throughout the city…_

"Balancing on the edge of the edge of a knife. That's how we live our lives," Dagran said. "I'm not gonna make you live like this forever, Zael. I promise you. The first chance we get, we're moving up in the world." I nodded. "We've all lost a lot in the war," he continued. "Things that were important to us. But we'll get them back."

"Yeah," I said, voicing my agreement. "You said something the day we decided to become mercenaries. 'We'll all be knights someday, you'll see'. I've never forgotten those words."

"Me neither. And this job could be our break," Dagran said. I was confused at what he meant. "Count Arganan is very ambitious. Rumor has it, he's quietly building up an army. And I don't mean to quell the monsters. If we show him what we can do, that could be us he's recruiting. We'll do it."

"Yeah. We will," I said with a grin. I decided to ask Dagran about the strange mark. It was our first free moment since I had gotten it. "Any thoughts?" I asked.

"It's a mystery," Dagran commented. "But that must have been some kind of sacred place you stumbled on. Maybe the guardian angel of Lazulis Island is looking out for you." He continued, rising.

"There's a guardian angel?"

"Nope, I just made it up," he admitted. "But I do feel like our luck is changing. I hope so, anyway." He walked over towards the door, grabbing a drink along the way.

"Hey, Zael!" Syrenne shouted. "Have a drink on me!" I turned around and found her drunk.

"Wow, Syrenne. This must be record time," I said with a laugh.

"What, you think I'm drunk?" she asked, her words slurring together slightly. "Look, I'm as sober as… whatever's normally sober." I raised an eyebrow. It was a rare occasion when Syrenne was sober. "Anyway, get some alcohol in you." She said, waving her tankard my way.

"I'm a bit lost here," I said.

"Syrenne does appear to have become slightly incoherent," Mirania agreed quietly.

"Erm…" I said.

"Look, if you're not drinking, then I'll have to get another drink!" Syrenne commented, offended. She stood up.

"What?" I asked. She staggered over to the bar and got yet another drink. A few minutes later she sat back down. She got about halfway through her drink before seeming to notice me again.

"Oh, Zael! While I was at the bar you turned into a rather handsome chap," she said, a smile on her face.

"Why? What? Why?!" I said. I was barely restraining myself from slowly backing away until I was far enough to make a run for it. The idea seemed very tempting though.

"But I'll tell you something about handsome chaps, Zael. Alright, being handsome's not enough for 'em. They're all shallow chaps, lying chaps, cheating chaps. And if they're handsome on top, I'm supposed to fall for 'em!" There was a definite slur by now. "And I know one handsome chap who's all three. Oh look, there he is!" Lowell walked over.

"Hey, at least you admit I'm handsome," he said, smirking.

"See what a horrible flirt he is! Don't you dare turn into that, Zael," Syrenne told me sternly.

"Don't turn into a raging alcoholic like her, either."

"I'm glad I have so many good role models," I said, laughing a little. Mirania called me over.

"Oh, Zael. It seems you had something of a hard time of it today. Are you all right? No serious wounds?" she asked me.

"I'm fine, really." It was the truth. I had even given Syrenne her armband back, since there was mysteriously no more injury there. "Danger comes with the territory," I reminded her.

"I don't like it when you act as though nothing's wrong. It tends to make me worry even more. The times when you are most sure of yourself are the times when I know you're about to do something reckless," she told me.

"My mum used to tell me that as well."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's really quite insensitive of me," she said.

"It's okay. You brought back some happy memories," I told her.

"Oi, Zael, my glass is empty. Go get me some more booze," Syrenne ordered, thrusting her glass upon me. "And get yourself a drink too!" she told me with a slightly threatening tone to her voice. I sighed and grabbed the glass, knowing that this was one fight I would not win. I walked over to the bar to find Lowell flirting with the barmaid- again.

"Hey, Lowell…" I began.

"It's true. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on," Lowell told the girl, who I guessed was Ariela. "You've melted my battle-hardened heart. I feel like a new man." I sighed.

"Would you like to order a drink?" Ariela asked him, not noticing that he was flirting with her.

"Just being near you fills me with light and magic and joy."

"I'll come back when you've decided what you want to drink," she said, turning to face another customer.

"Hey, I-" Lowell started, before turning to face me. "Looks like that one'll be a challenge. But I like a challenge. What do you think, Zael?"

"I think you flirt with every girl," I told him, putting Syrenne's glass down.

"My dad gave me some advice before he died. He said, son, if you see a beautiful women, you have to flirt with her. It's rude not to. My granddad said so too. And the blacksmith next door," he added.

"My dad never said that."

"Then it's a good thing I'm here! It's the golden rule of being a man. I never break it. Not ever," he told me. I tried to follow what he was saying.

"So, in short, you like flirting," I tried.

"I don't like it-" he began. "I live it. It's a big responsibility, being a fine specimen of a man like myself."

"Wait, does this means you've even tried flirting with Mirania?" I asked, my mind finally coming to a conclusion.

"Of course!" he boasted. "It's just… she didn't even notice I flirting with her."

"What about Syrenne?" I questioned, smiling. Lowell laughed.

"Well, I only like women," he told me. I saw a thoroughly drunk Syrenne standing up, but didn't say anything. Instead I watched with a slight amusement as Syrenne managed to knock him over the bar, his shout of surprise causing everyone in the tavern to stare at us for a second, before turning back to whatever they had been doing. Lowell also managed to somehow break the metal tankard as he went over, meaning I would have to pay for two drinks and damage, since Syrenne certainly wasn't going to do it. "Ow! Watch it, Syrenne!" he shouted, leaping back over the bar and rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry! My hand must have slipped," she said sarcastically. "But don't worry. Next time it'll find its mark."

"You can pack that in!" Lowell told her. Syrenne walked back to the table, ignoring my existence in her rage at Lowell. I was grateful for that, because I did not want to end up on the receiving end of her anger.

"Your friends are definitely a rowdy bunch," Ariela said to me.

"Sorry. I hope were not causing a scene," I said.

"Actually, as mercenaries go, you all seem really nice," she admitted. "My name's Ariela. My dad owns the tavern. You'll be staying here for a while, right? Just ask me if you need anything."

"Thanks. I'm Zael, by the way."

"Zael. That's a nice name. What do you think of the city so far, Zael?" I thought for a second about the question.

"I think it's great," I finally said.

"Really? That's wonderful! All the hustle and bustle is too much for some people, but I love it," she said, her eyes lighting up and a smile appearing on her face.

"Is it always this crowded?" I asked.

"Normally there aren't quite so many people, but it's Lady Calista's wedding soon," she answered.

"Lady who?"

"You don't know?" She asked with a laugh. "She's the only daughter of the formal Count. The wedding's not for another month, but it's already the talk of the town. Ooh, I bet it's going to be such an extravagant wedding. How exciting!"

"It's a whole different world," I told her. _Nothing like the life of a mercenary._

"So, do you need something?" she asked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Syrenne staring at me. She gave me a look that clearly said _You better hurry up or you're going to regret it!_

"Yeah, two drinks, please. One of your strongest, and one of your weakest," I said quickly. I was _not _getting drunk. She grabbed the drinks and smiled as she saw Syrenne looking at me.

"Your girlfriend?" Ariela asked with a laugh.

"More like a crazy aunt," I corrected, knowing just how much Syrenne liked to say that she was my 'Auntie Syrenne'. I paid for the drinks and brought them back over.

"Took you long enough, Zael!" Syrenne exclaimed as she grabbed one of the glasses, the stronger one luckily. I sat down on the other stool. "Drink up!" she encouraged. I sighed and took a drink, my face immediately turning into one of disgust at the horrible taste. Honestly, how could she drink so many of these? I forced myself to swallow. "Lowell! Get over here!" she shouted, and as she turned around, I poured the contents of my cup into hers. She turned around and I stood up, not wanting to be in any nearby area with those two while Syrenne was as drunk as she was.

"I've got to go," I said, walking towards the door.

"We'll be busy from now on. Better go out and enjoy the city while you can," Dagran told me. "By the way, here's the money we earned today. I'll leave it your hands." He handed me the bag.

"Understood," I answered.

"We could do with some new gear," he told me, gesturing to the door next to him. "After that, you should take a look around the city. I'll see you out there later." I nodded and walked into the room. Inside was a merchant. She looked at me.

"Hmm, I like the look in your eye," she said. "You after any rare, foreign weapons? If so, then I'm your woman."

"I want to buy weapons," I told her, knowing that being blunt was the only way to get anything good. She showed me her wares. I looked them over and sighed, knowing that there was nothing here that was any better than what we already had that wasn't priced way out there. "Never mind," I said, turning towards the door.

"You and me are both outsiders in this city. Just have to live with it, I guess!" she said as a farewell. I walked into the main room and headed for the door.

"Hey, Zael!" Syrenne called, but I was already outside, closing the door behind me.

* * *

**Finished Chapter 3 finally! This chapter is supposed to be so short, yet it took me so long to do it. Anyway, next is Lazulis City and I have a question for all of you. Should I split this chapter into several short ones or just pull of doing everything at once? If I'm doing everything at once, I might need a little hand with the 'Arena' scene (You all know what I'm talking about, don't deny it!). I can't watch it without cracking up laughing, so yeah. Sayonara!**


	4. Chapter 4: Lazulis City: Part 1

Chapter 4: Lazulis City

Zael's POV

**South of the castle spread Lazulis City, hub of culture and trade. Naturally it drew all types of visitors from all over the Empire. Sailors, merchants, travelling entertainers and knights errant, and of course, mercenaries. All were drawn to the city by the lure of fame and fortune. Yet only a lucky few would ever taste the success they longed for.**

I stepped outside and walked away from the entrance, making sure to duck so that I wouldn't hit the tavern's sign again, like I had on the way inside. It was my first actual look at the city, considering the first time I had been here I was staring at a map.

"What is with those things?" I asked myself as I saw yet another one of those lights practically right in front of the door. I started towards it when I realized how weird I would look if I took the time to inspect it and instead changed my route towards the fortune teller opposite it. I sat down at the stool. The fortune teller looked at me for a second before staring at her crystal ball.

"I see it… It is coming to me…" she said. "I see many people appearing before you with their disparate desires… I see Mother Water and Father Fire, each consuming the other… And then… nothing. I can see no further. I have never experienced the like before." I was confused. The most sensible thing she had said was 'I see it'. "Your destiny is a strange one indeed," she went on. "But do not fear, for fear will achieve nothing. On that corner is the shop of one called Horace. Good fortune awaits you there."

"Thanks," I said standing up. I walked towards the small building that the lady had mentioned.

"I don't know if that fortune will come true, but I suppose there's no harm in trying," I told myself. I walked inside, a small bell ringing as the door opened. The inside was actually very welcoming and warm; something that was extremely uncommon in shops. I approached the counter, looking around in amazement. There were a lot of boxes around, packaged and looked ready to ship out. A middle-aged man with glasses approached. I took a guess that this was Horace.

"Oh, I don't believe we've met. Would you be a traveler perhaps?" Horace asked me. I nodded. "Then you've made the right choice in visiting my shop! Please, come right in!" He led me behind the counter and down the stairs that I hadn't noticed at first glance. Downstairs was obviously where he worked, but I was confused at why he had taken me down here. "And today is your lucky day! You just so happen to be my one thousandth customer!" he continued. "Ah, what a wonderful moment! To think that this day has finally arrived…! To celebrate this occasion, I would like to offer you a one-time only free weapon upgrade. What shall I upgrade?" he asked me. I took out my sword and handed it to him.

"This please," I said.

"I'll have that done right in a jiffy!" I took a seat on a stack of boxes and watched with mild interest as he worked, occasionally handing him something from one of the nearby boxes. In about a half hour, he was done, handing me back my weapon. I did a few test slashes and found that it was lighter than before. It was also a lot easier and less awkward to handle.

"What did you do to it?" I asked, amazed. Horace smiled.

"I made it a lot more durable and lightweight, as I'm sure you've noticed. I also noted that you are right-handed and were wielding a left-handed blade, so I fixed that as well," he explained. Needless to say, I was impressed.

"Well, thanks," I said, heading back upstairs.

"Anytime!" Horace answered, waving goodbye. I put the sword away as I stepped outside. I didn't really have a specific place I wanted to go to, so I just started wandering aimlessly around. I slowed my pace as I heard two Lazulis Guards talking.

"Hey! Have you found her?!" one of them asked.

"Nope. doesn't look like she's here," the other said.

"Well let's just carry on looking. She can't have left the city," the first one said. In some corner of my mind I wondered who they were talking about. I headed south, towards where I had entered the city through.

"Hey there! Wanna play a game with me?" A boy asked me.

"A game?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll hide special toy coins all around the city, and you have to find them! If you manage to find them all, I'll give you my greatest treasure!" he explained. "So… Wanna try?"

"Absolutely," I said, doubting that he was serious about giving me his greatest treasure.

"All right! I'll go and hide the coins right now, so hang on a minute." He raced away. I took a seat against the wall while I waited for him to return. A few minutes later, he raced in, panting heavily. I stood up. "OK. I've hidden six coins in total! They're super-shiny, so you'll know them when you see them. Good luck searching! I won't be here all day, so you better hurry!"

"Okay," I said, walking away. I spotted one of the boy's coins on the ground on the other side of the plaza. He was not kidding about the coins being bright. I leaned over and picked it up, putting inside of one of my jacket's pockets. I stood up, bumping into a lady. "Sorry."

"That's quite all right," she answered, "but I'm sick of those little rascals down the alley. I wish someone would tell them off. Don't you think it's rude of them to call me Granny?" She asked.

"Yeah," I said, not caring. It was probably just a bunch of rude kids, no actual problem. I headed down the alley the lady had been talking about. Halfway down was a girl sitting on a bench.

"Hi there," she greeted. "You must have only just arrived on this island, huh?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"I mean, that was just too easy!" she said, laughing. I heard another laugh from above me, this time a boy's.

"Got your wallet, big guy!" he shouted. I looked up, feeling the pants pocket that I usually kept it in.

"Damn it!" I muttered under my breath, realizing that he was right. Behind him was another boy.

"We don't want no mercenaries here. Never met a decent one!" shouted the other boy. I brushed off the insult. I had been told that so many times before that it had stopped bothering me. "If you think you can catch us, the Orchid Gang, then go ahead and try!"

"You'll never spot us if you keep staring down at the ground!" the girl said. I spun around and saw that she was already on top of a building. "Well, see ya!" she said with another laugh. The children scattered, and I chose to chase after the first boy, the one who said that he got my wallet. Honestly, did he think I was stupid? He led me back to Ariela's Tavern, standing smugly atop the roof.

"Hey there!" I said, smiling at him. The boy jumped, looking around before his eyes landed on me.

"Bah… you found me," he said, regaining his composure. "Guess you're not as dumb as I thought. Hey guys, over here!" he shouted, leaping down. Once his friends were there, he turned to look at me. "You know, you're pretty sharp for a worthless mercenary," he said. Again, I brushed the comment off with only a tad more difficulty than the last one.

"You want your wallet back?" the smaller boy said. "Fine, you can have it." The taller boy gave me back my wallet. I made a mental note to double-check later that they hadn't stolen anything out of it.

"And we'll give you this too, so hurry up and leave the island, OK?" the girl added, handing me a Dragon Skin. "It's not as if this place has any future anyway." The children left again, taking to the rooftops. I turned around and headed into the Central Plaza for a moment. I noticed the Toy Coin almost immediately, placing it with the first one. Still not paying attention to where I was going, I walked down an alley until I reached a plaza with a fountain in the center. There was another light there, next to a man sitting cross legged on the ground. There was also a coin there. I picked it up and put it inside my pocket. I walked towards the road next to the man, when he asked me a question.

"What are you on about? You know how it is," he told me sadly. I stared at him for a second, before heading down the road next to him.

"What was wrong with him?" I asked an alley cat. The cat meowed at me, jumping down off of the barrel it was perched on. It seemed to give me an annoyed look before it walked away. I continued down the road, making a random turn that led me to a staircase. I walked down it and stepped into the market. Around me, people raced by and shopkeepers tried to attract customers. I walked around the place quickly, trying to understand what led where. I gave up and just headed up the main road, picking up another Toy Coin and taking a turn onto an alleyway. And boy was I glad I took that turn. Midway down the alley was an elderly man being harassed by a middle-aged man. I hated these kinds of… jerks. I walked towards them, not wanting to move if it turns out that I had been mistaken.

"Hey, looks like business has been going pretty well for you lately," the middle-aged man said.

"Erm… Well… Not… not that good…" the elderly man told him, terrified.

"Look. We can't even make ends meet. How about helping us out?" This was the final straw. I shoved the middle-aged man off of the elder. He turned to face me, angry. "Hey, listen, kid. This is a family matter!" he snarled at me. I _hated_ it when people older than me called me kid.

"Well, I think that you should treat your _family _better," I retorted, not believing a word of it. He swung a punch at me. I ducked. I sent a hard kick his way. I sighed as he fell unconscious; this was pathetic. The only thing I had gotten from it was anger. The elderly man had run away, I noted as I learned that the alley had taken me back to the Market. I went the other way, once again turning at the first chance I got. I ended up next to what I guessed was the East Gate. There was a bench with another elderly man on it.

"You there, young'un. Have a seat here," he said, and I obliged. "The sea breeze feels good, doesn't it?" he asked. I nodded and he gave me a smile. "Back in my younger days, I used to work in the port just past that gate. This city is built on trade. Ships from all over the Empire come and go every day.

"It must have been hard work working in the port," I commented. The smiled remained on the man's face.

"Do you know what the most important thing for a docker is?" I thought for a minute about the question.

"Good business acumen," I answered.

"Business acumen is important," he agreed. "But I'd say that's an important skill for anyone to have. That goes for you, too. Here use this and see how good yours is." He handed me one hundred gold.

"Thanks," I said. I went back the way I came, surprised from the gift. When I was back on the market street, I headed up the steps that I had entered this maze from. Instead of heading back towards the plaza, I turned right and was next to the river that ran throughout the center of the city. I walked along until I reached what I could only assume was Castle Gate Plaza. It was a very busy place, especially compared to the other plaza's I had been in. I guess it had something to do with the wedding. I saw another Toy Coin shining on the ground and hid it inside of my pocket. I noticed an archery shop on the other side of the plaza and stepped inside.

The woman behind the counter was obviously bored, reading a book that I couldn't see the title of. "Over there," she said pointing to the wall, not even glancing up. I looked at the only arrows they had: Prank Banana's and Fireworks, way overpriced. I started towards the door, when I heard the book slam down on the table. "You ain't gonna buy anything!" she exclaimed.

"There's nothing to buy," I answered, leaving the shop. I swore to never go in there again. As I left, I noticed a huge building that towered over the small houses around here. Surprised that I hadn't noticed it earlier, I gave my wandering a meaning as I started towards it, wondering what it was. I kept hitting dead ends, and eventually gave up and took a seat next to a man whose face was shrouded by a cloak.

"You know, in another life, I was a dragon," He told me.

"That's… interesting," I responded, thinking that there must be something wrong with this man. Dragons have been extinct at least a couple thousand years.

"You don't believe me, do you?" He said. Before I could answer, he continued, "Bring me five Dragon Skins and I will show you that I really was a dragon in a previous life."

"Okay," I said warily. "Hey, do you know how to get to the umm…" I trailed off, not knowing what the place was called. Unfortunately, the place had been one of the parts that were damaged, so I just pointed at it.

"Ah, yes. Here, I will show you." He drew the directions on the map, and I was surprised at how close I was.

"Thanks," I said, walking away. I exited the alley to find a boy standing at the end, arms crossed. He stared at me. I walked by, feeling slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't hard to find the stairs that led to the area with the building, and I felt slightly embarrassed that I hadn't noticed it earlier. I also saw the final coin and made another note to go to the South Gate later. I headed towards the entrance of the building.

"There you are, Zael," a voice said.

"Huh?" I asked, surprised. I spun around. Behind me was Dagran, leaning casually against a building corner. "Oh, it's just you Dagran. You surprised me there," I told him, relieved.

"I would have settled for a simple hello," Dagran said, uncrossing his arms as I took a step towards him.

"Well, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" I said. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I hear a company of knights is visiting the city. I thought you might want to take a look."

"Oh, really? I don't know how you find out these things so quickly."

"I have my ways. Anyway, I thought you might be interested. Guess I'll see you there," he said, walking away.

"Wait-Dagran! Why do you always have to run off like that?! Dagran…!" I called out after him. I was about to give chase, when the building caught my eye. I was still curious about what the huge building actually was, so I made a mental note to check it out quickly and then follow Dagran. It shouldn't be too hard to find him, right? I walked towards it and saw Syrenne and Lowell there.

Syrenne's POV

"You know what this place is, right?" I asked Zael, approaching him. He stopped and turned around, almost as if was just noticing us.

"Huh?" he asked. "No, I can't say I do…" I got up in his face now, which was surprisingly easy, considering he was about a foot taller than me. I leaned on his shoulder, smirking at him.

"Oh, really?" I asked, giving him a punch that was not unlike the one I had given him back in the caves, except for the fact that I intentionally punched him a lot harder. He immediately recoiled from me. "Still, you're a guy, right? I know how it is." Oh, was I going to drive him insane. I knew that he had given me his drink, and that is not a good thing. I'd have to teach him how to do it correctly later, but for now, it was time for revenge. He gave a nervous laugh. "You have certain… needs from time to time!"

"S-Syrenne…!" he stuttered out. He squirmed uncomfortably in my grasp.

"But don't you worry. When you feel the urge, this is the place to sort yourself out!" I said, gesturing to the building around us. He looked around. The only people around was a kissing couple and Lowell, who I had dragged along with me. I could almost hear the suppressed laughs that he was fighting to keep down. "I know, I know, everyone's embarrassed their first time. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be back for more!"

"I-I really don't think…" He managed to say.

"Oh, don't be such a scared-cat! You'll never get any better if you don't practice! Go on, be a man and get stuck in… here at the Arena!" I told him, slapping his shoulder hard enough to nearly send him flying.

"Arena?" he asked, surprised at the sudden answer.

"Yeah! Nothing like a good old fight! Why? What did you think it was?" I asked him with a devilish smile, my revenge complete. From the way he had reacted earlier when I was telling him about this place, and from the way he suddenly straightened up, I could tell what he had been thinking. And, boy did he need to get his brain out of the gutter! That damn Lowell was rubbing off on him way too much!

Zael's POV

She gestured me to follow her. "Come on, we need another teammate to be allowed to compete!" I followed her towards the sign ups.

"Am I the only one who thinks she was coming onto you?" Lowell whispered to me as Syrenne led us to a stand.

"You sure are," I told him. Lowell looked as if he was about to retort, but Syrenne interrupted him.

"We need a 'team leader'," she told us. "Zael, you want to be it?"

"Sure," I answered, not really paying much attention.

"Hey, why does Zael get to be the leader?" Lowell asked.

"Because, this is his first time at an Arena!" Syrenne practically shouted, sending glances flying our way. I felt a blush start to appear on my face at the sudden stares, and felt very uncomfortable.

"Hey, I don't really mind. Lowell can be the team leader," I said, trying not to start an all-out war between the two.

"Shut up, Zael! There is no way I'm letting this jackal be our team leader!" Syrenne told me fiercely. I was all set to run away and not stop until I reached the next town over, before she had a mood swing. "Besides, I already signed us up," she said, a smirk on her face. I gave Lowell a shrug and we started towards the door in which those competing enter the arena through. I watched, surprised as the entire arena started rising, the cover above us retracting to let us inside. The three of us unsheathed our swords.

"Ready? GO!" an announcer shouted. A bell rung loudly from somewhere above us. "And the match begins!" the announcer narrated. "Our challengers today are Zael, Lowell, and Syrenne. According to my notes, they go by the name Team Zael!" I gave Syrenne a look, and she gave a shrug.

"I would've called it something else, but didn't have the time to think of anything," she told me. Instead of taking the straight-forward path down the stairs, I turned left. "Where do you think you're going?" Syrenne asked, following me.

"A group of mercenaries, they're skills honed on the battlefield. But how will they fare in the battles ahead of them today? This is a real test of their skills as professional warriors!" I navigated my way around the debris. "Now allow me to explain the rules. Behind each door framed with torches, an enemy team lies in wait." A door with lit torches. There was no handle on door and a quick shove proved that it opened inwards. But why wouldn't it open? "If Team Zael can defeat these enemy teams and conquer every room, then fame, fortune, and a glorious victory will be theirs!" Syrenne and Lowell caught up.

"Damn, I hate these types of arenas. They always wait until the announcer finishes the intro before letting us actually fight," Syrenne explained, an annoyed look on her face.

"But if the team leader, Zael, is rendered incapable of continuing the battle, then too bad! That will count as a failure. Now let's see how things play out!" Just like that the door opened and we walked inside, the set of doors behind it already open. We walked in and the doors slamming shut behind us, startling me.

"Spiders? Ugh. Those things creep me out." Syrenne complained.

"It's tough to hurt 'em if you strike from in front," Lowell agreed. "Gotta get behind 'em or use magic. You can leave the magic to me, so just watch my back, OK?" he said. "And watch out for that big guy, Zael." He pointed to the Reptid that towered above the walls. "He'll crush you if you're not careful!"

"Got it," I said, racing out to where the enemies could see me.

"As experienced fighters, I'm sure that they already have a strategy worked out," the announcer said. I ducked behind a piece of debris as an arrow was fired from the archer. I leaped up and slashed at the archer, destroying it the wall behind it, which crushed the Reptid. I momentarily put my hands above my head to block the pieces of debris flying towards me.

"I think you're probably right there, Franklin," another announcer said. I raced through the hole and knocked a mage down. It got back up and took out a dagger, its arm bleeding heavily.

"Who's that?" Franklin asked. I blocked the dagger and slashed at it again, killing it.

"The name's Jeffery," Jeffery answered. I turned around and saw another mage, this one looking ready to attack. I knelt down and fired an arrow at it.

"Oh... I see, I see! It looks like we're being joined by a second commentator today, folks!" I missed, but the attack had done the trick. Focus lost, the mage fell out of the sky. I ran towards it, leaping over a fallen wall, most likely caused by the Reptid Gladiator. The mage stood up just as I finished navigating my way to it. I stood, the Reptid's back to me. Before it noticed I was there I raced forward, giving it a hard slash that caused it to crumple to the ground. Next to me, the wall collapsed and I was forced against the edge of the arena, my breath knocked out of me. The shield holding me against the wall moved, and I fell onto my hands and knees, gasping for air. I quickly recovered and rolled out of the way as the Reptid tried to run me over again. I got to my feet and followed it. When I caught up to it I tried to slash, but it blocked my sword with its shield. It leaped into the air and I stepped backwards, almost slipping on ice that hadn't been there seconds ago. The Gladiator landed hard, flying backwards and hitting it's skull against the ground with a sickening _crack_. I winced, but didn't look, instead racing toward where Syrenne was trying to get behind a spider without luck. Where was the second spider…?

"Ow!" I said, feeling something pierce my shoulder. I froze in place, paralyzed. The spider Syrenne was fighting turned to face me and I tried to shake off the effects of the needle. The spider reared up… and was taken down by Syrenne. I knew that the other was still alive and this was only proven further as I was forcibly knocked over, cancelling the paralysis. I got up, guarding as another dart was thrown my way. Syrenne stole the spider's attention, and I ran around behind it, giving it a good, hard kick that proved very effective against destroying the spider. Syrenne looked at the remains. Or what was left of them. I grumbled under my breath as I realized the trouble I would have to go through later to get the spider blood off of me. Lowell walked over to us.

"Somebody's got aggressions," he said, impressed. I could tell that he did not know who had done it, but had automatically assumed it was Syrenne.

"Come on," I said, heading out the reopened door.

"Hey, wait up!" Syrenne called, running after me. I went around the debris to the other door. I waited until they had caught up before heading inside it. Once again, the instant all of us were inside, the door slammed shut. This time, the room was mostly empty, a nice contrast to the previous one. "They're all huddled up in the middle. Trying to keep warm, are they?" Syrenne said with a laugh.

"Looks like a classic defensive formation," I answered.

"They're using magic to gain a strategic advantage. We've got to take out that mage!" Lowell told us. We raced into battle. Lowell found good coverage to cast from while Syrenne flanked from the right and I headed down the left, making sure to note the healing fountain.

"So, Jeffery. Any predictions for this next battle?" Franklin asked. I snuck up on the archer, who hadn't noticed. Feeling cocky because I knew that there was no physical way to fire an arrow with how close I was, I tapped the archer on the shoulder. It spun around, hitting my sword on the way around. Still alive, it took a step backwards, towards the heal circle that the mage had set up.

"Good question Franklin." Was the response from Jeffery. "This team has a real fire in their eyes. They remind me of my own younger days." It turned to break into a full run, and I used this as my chance, knocking it over and attacking it while it was down.

"That's a… interesting answer! Not quite what I was expecting, but thank you anyway!" I focused my attention on the swordsmen of the group, only to see that they were all huddled inside the circle, making any attack pointless. I grabbed the arrows that the archer had been carrying, which were twenty Paralysis Arrows and another ten Wizard Slayers. I only thought for a moment about how odd it was that there were no Burst Arrows on the archer as well. I ducked in the same place that the other archer had been in. Taking out my crossbow, I aimed at the healer, making sure to grab a Wizard Slayer. Right before I was about to fire, a swordsman stepped in the way, ruining my shot. I moved over towards where Lowell was and aimed again, only to receive the same results.

"Grr… I need them to leave that circle," I growled under my breath. The attentions of the Reptid Swordsmen turned to me. They started to approach me. I came out from behind my cover.

"Nice magic trick, mate," Lowell said with obvious surprise in his voice. I glanced down, praying that I hadn't done something stupid… only to have my prayers crushed as a bright blue light winked up at me. Well, that was one way to lure them out. Syrenne gave a quick glance, but then turned her attention back to the healer. I stepped away from Lowell; better give him a chance to cast. Next to me was a bomb with a green band around the center. I knew that a white band created a heal circle and an orange one exploded upon impact, but I didn't know what a green band meant. I shrugged; the best way to find out what something did was to use it and see what happened. I picked it up and threw it towards the approaching enemies, only for it to fall short and stay on the ground, not exploding.

"What?" I asked, annoyed that the bomb was a dud. I threw my guard up while I approached, passing the explosive. An attack came from the one closest to me and I stepped backwards, my foot landing on the bomb. "Ah!" Electricity literally danced in the air as gas came out of the shell, obstructing my vision and making the air thicker, harder to breathe in. I stumbled forwards, bumping into something. Coughing hard, I stepped backwards, feeling something pass above my head. The air cleared and I shook my head, looking at the damage that had been done while I was dazed. One of the Reptid's had been killed by its comrade and another was heavily damaged, clutching the wound that probably came from the sword swipe. Not wasting a second to gawk at the sight, I raced forward. I leaped off of the bleeding Reptid, causing it to crumple. I fell with my sword in front, hitting one of the two remaining swordsman. I landed on ice, one of my knees smacking the ground hard. "Ouch!" The other Reptid fell next to me, courtesy of Syrenne.

"Damn it Lowell! Watch where you aim, you bloke!" Syrenne shouted.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry. No need to shout," Lowell said, walking over. Above us, the bell rang.

"And that bell means that the match is over!" Franklin said. "Our band of unknown mercenaries have claimed victory in their arena debut! What a thrilling battle that was! Could we have a new star team on our hands?!"

"Nice scratch you got there," Syrenne told me, pointing out the growing red spot on my pant leg.

"I could say the same to you. Any issues?" I asked, referring to the scratches on her arms.

"They certainly did well for a team of newcomers. Very promising!" Jeffery commented.

"Nah, just some hot-shot mage who thought he's a swordsman," Syrenne answered with a grin. She offered a hand down and I took it, standing up. I winced at the sudden pain, sucking in my breath through grit teeth.

"Either way, we should get the two of you cleaned up," Lowell suggested. The arena sank back down below the city as we washed away the scratches that all of us had achieved in the healing properties of the pond at the corner of the battlefield. Lowell and Syrenne held a contest to see whose injuries were worse, which I won with ease, despite not having participated in it. The door opened up when the arena stopped moving downwards, allowing us to leave the place. Surprisingly, the descent took much longer than the ascent.

"About time, too!" Syrenne said, leaving immediately.

"For Reptid's, I gotta say they were a pretty tough bunch," Lowell commented, following. I started to join them, when something in the first chamber caught my eye. Something was flickering in the dim light. I walked through the debris and took a look at what it was, smiling. There were the Burst Arrows I had been looking for. I picked up the twenty of them, not a single one had been fired. I quickened my pace and caught up with Syrenne and Lowell.

"Ah, victory is sweet!" Syrenne announced when we were back outside in the city.

"I'd say we did a fine job," Lowell agreed.

"But is this all the prize money we get?" She gestured to the bag that we had gotten after we left. "Here, Zael. You can have it. Buy yourself something nice." She handed me the entire bag.

"Really?" I asked. "Thanks!"

"Call it a present from Auntie Syrenne to celebrate little Zael's first victory!" she told me, grinning. I don't understand why she only treated me this way and not any of the others.

"Syrenne's handing out cash for something that's not alcohol! Somebody call a doctor!" Lowell said.

"Don't go wasting it, yeah?" Syrenne said, ignoring Lowell.

"I'll make sure I spend it wisely," I reassured her.

"Doctor! Is there a doctor in the house?!" Lowell called out.

"Well, let's do this again sometime! I'm gonna have a wander. I'll see you back at the tavern," Syrenne said.

"Sounds good," I told her.

"Doctor! Doctor! … And still they ignore me," Lowell stated, giving up on the joke. "You know, that really hurts, guys!"

"Lowell, I said I'm going for a wander," Syrenne said seriously. "Let's go already!" She grabbed Lowell by the arm, and walked away, dragging him behind her. I grinned. For two people who couldn't stand each other, they sure liked to spend time together.

* * *

**Okay, so I've decided to post this in two parts simply because it's so LONG. And I wanted to get something done this weekend. I'm sorry if you were hoping for me to post this in 1 chapter, I was hoping for it too. Fun Fact: the entire Arena fight was done based off of pure memory, announcer's script, and personal preference of which room to take out first. Anyway, I'm not going to include upgrading the armor (Besides the Knight's Armor and Dragon Armor), because honestly, who goes to the store to have somebody upgrade their clothing? Nobody that I've met, but if you do, then that's cool. So I'll be skipping the Gnome Copper quests because of that. BTW, for all of you who have played Skies of Arcadia, am I the only one who thinks of this while playing that game? ****I'll try to get the second half finished fast, so ****Sayonara!**


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